Fabula Palliata : The Greek plays adapted in Latin

Fabula Palliata   is any of the Roman comedies that were translations or creative adaptations of Greek dramas especially comedies.  The name  Palliata has been derived from the Latin word  pallium which means  a Greek cloak . All surviving Roman comedies composed by Plautus  and Terence belong to this category. 

So from within the fold of the fabula palliata, different situations within the

Roman context were brought to the fore. The references to Greek places or

contexts was interesting as it allowed the audience to accept the subversive

elements in the plays as they watched under the illusion that this was happening,

say in Athens. But, the situations, humour, context was that of Rome. Moreover,

the audience would have understood these plays as Roman plays, remaining

unfamiliar with their Greek originals, an idea that critics have often pointed out.

As a result, the audience sees a confluence of varied cultural influences with

aspects they could relate to and enjoy. The “Greekish” was merged with the

“Sicilyish”. Plautus not only emphasised that his performers were both actors

and characters; he also kept his audience continually aware that the actors/

characters were both Greek and Roman. Plautus’s plays are generally set in

Greek locales. The characters make allusions to Greek customs even as they

present to the Roman audience mannerisms that belong to them and not Greece.